News

NMR Spectroscopy Yields Exciting Research in Chemistry

When Dennis Curran has a problem, he knows where to turn for help in locating the solution: Damodaran Krishnan, director of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility.

Curran, Distinguished Service Professor and Bayer Professor of Chemistry, has collaborated with Krishnan and his group several times since Krishnan assumed the director’s role 11 years ago. Curran credits the excellence of Krishnan’s work – in conjunction with the caliber of the instruments offered in the facility – with advancing his research on several projects.

Scientific Glass Blowing Allows Researchers to Customize Tools of the Trade

When you’re working with liquid helium at temperatures hovering around 1.38 degrees Kelvin, you can’t simply order the necessary supplies – you have to make them.

The laboratory group of Wolfgang J. “Jim” Choyke, research professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, uses a dewar – or flask – made from custom-blown glass and metal fashioned in the glass and machine shops for the task, which Choyke calls “absolutely essential for what we do.”

Electronics Shop Builds Components for the Atlas Experiment in Particle Physics

Imagine walking into an electronics big-box store and asking for a piece of equipment that lasts for a minimum of 10 years without any need for replacement or repair. Just for good measure, it also has to work in a highly radioactive environment and help world-class scientists examine the fundamental structure of the universe.

For the Love of Fruit Flies: Breeding Chamber Assists Biological Research

In the three decades that Tom Gasmire has been building items for Pitt scientists, he has contributed to a lot of groundbreaking research by creating equipment that doesn’t exist. It’s one of the things he likes best about working for a university: the opportunity to build a piece of apparatus that assists a professor or graduate student while also stretching the bounds of Gasmire’s own creativity.

So when doctoral student Eden McQueen told him she needed a brothel for fruit flies, he was more than up to the task.

Filter Device Allows Researchers to Image Volcanic Eruptions

Few events in nature are as chaotic as a volcanic eruption. So if your job is to capture thermal images of that eruption, it’s critical that the equipment be foolproof enough to work without constant adjustment.

That was the problem facing Michael Ramsey, a professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science, when he approached machine shop supervisor Tom Gasmire about building him a mechanism that would hold the filters Ramsey uses to take those images.

Welcome Jesse!

Jesse Knotts is our newest ULS Senior Site Specialist for the University of Pittsburgh. Unity Lab Services (ULS) is a division of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Contact Jesse via Pitt@thermofisher.com and  412) 624-2012.

New Hire for Electronics Shop

Please welcome the Electronics Shop new Electronics Design Engineer Yuvaraj Elangovan.

Dry Ice Update

As of December 1, 2016, the Dietrich School Scientific Stockroom will be supplying the self-service dry ice for the Clapp-Langley-Crawford Complex in addition to the Chemistry Complex.

To purchase dry ice follow these steps:

1. Go to the storage area for dry ice in the A511A Langley Equipment Room; the room combination is 5 (bring the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment containers for your Dry Ice).

2. Safely obtain the amount of product that you need or that is available for withdrawal and secure the storage area to prevent unwanted evaporation.

Damodaran teaches one day course at EAS

Damodaran will be at the Eastern Analytical Conference on Sunday, Nov. 13 in Philadelphia.  More info here: Practical NMR Spectroscopy.

Damadaron leads session at Pittcon

Damodaran will be leading a short course at Pittcon entitled Practical NMR Spectroscopy.

From the Pittcon website:

Practical NMR Spectroscopy

Description:

New Hire for Electronics Shop

Welcome Richard Devincentis to the Electronics Shop. He will be working in B80 Crawford Hall.

Joe Begley will move to 311 Eberly Hall.

Welcome Kyle Bussard

Please join us in welcoming Kyle Bussard to the team and to the Machine Shop.  Kyle comes to us from Coshocton Industries in Ohio and comes with a strong background in both CNC machining and welding.  

Jim McNerney Retirement

Congratulations to Jim McNerney on his retirement on April 1 after nearly 38 years with our electronics shop.  His skill, expertise, and comradery will be missed.

Machine Shop Featured in Pittwire

Machine Shop featured in Pittwire

https://www.pitt.edu/pittwire/features-articles/dietrich-school-machine-shop

Review Article of the NMR of Ionic Liquids

Congratulations to Damodaran on the recent publication of his review article on the NMR of Ionic Liquids in the prestigious Progress in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy journal.